Grooming dog?

[DianeB]

My poor terrier mix is looking pretty shaggy as of late. She desperately needs a haircut, but I don't want to pay for a groomer. It is usually $45+. That is way too big of a chunk of change. My sister has grooming kit. I would like to know how to groom her properly.

Has anyone groomed their own dog? I am not looking for anything fancy, just a shorter cut to make my dog more comfortable and presentable.

 

[SKR8PN]

We do all of the haircuts for Gracie Sue, our Golden Retriever. Believe me when I say that she is a high maintenance pup! Take your time and with a little practice and you can do a great cut at home. The wife has a special pair of thinning scissors she uses on her and they work GREAT without leaving any big "nicks" or thin spots in her coat. We also have a small pair of trimming scissors that work great on her paws. We like to leave as much of her "feathers" on her as we can, because she is beautiful when she runs and her fur is just flowing!

 

[deb4o]

I do my own grooming to three of our dogs, 2 are shih tzu and 1 is a yorkie.I got a grooming kit at the local Wal-Mart for about 45$ and then got thinning scissors at the pet store. At our local library I was able to borrow a grooming guide on CD it was very helpful. I would first bath the dog as clean hair is easier to cut. Try taking a little off at first, until you and the dog feel comfortable with the processs. It just take practice. and remeber after all its just hair and will grow back lol

 

[chipmunk]

YAHOOOO! Finally, something I really know something about! DianeB, I am a dog groomer, so I can help you out.

Most non-professional grooming kits have clippers with the clipon combs to get different lengths of hair. The first thing to do if you're gonna use that is to brush out your dog so there're no tangles for the comb to get stuck in, or at least get any tangles out enough from the skin so you can clip under them. Then give her a good bath, get her totally dry, and brush her out again. It's important to get oils and grit out of her hair so they don't mess up the clipper blade, and also so that her coat will be easier to clip.

Choose the comb for the length you want her coat, then, starting on her body, run the clipper along her body in the direction the hair grows (I'm assuming here that you just want her the same length all over). You may need to brush the hair forward and go over it several times to get it even.

As for the face, first brush the hair on top of the head up, and catch it between the pointer and middle finger of your other hand. With a pair of haircutting scissors, trim straight across over the top of those two fingers. Remember, you can always make it shorter, so err on the side of your fingers holding less hair at the top until you see how it looks (does that makes sense?)

For most terriers, the "Teddy Bear" face is what folks want. For this, first make sure you've combed out all the knots along her nose and chin. Comb the hair straight down, parted in the middle along her nose. Face her head on, then, starting on the right side, cut the hair in an broad U shape from the front of her chin to the back of her ear. Again, err on the side of longer until you get the look you want. Most dogs will hold relatively still for this if you gently hold the fur under their chin. Do the same on the left side. Then you're just going to trim straight across from one side to the other for the rest of the hair under her chin.

As for the ears.. well...if the hair needs trimming, just be sure you place your fingers on the end of the ear leather before you trim, so you know where it is and don't cut your puppy!

There are other things that might not be an issue with your dog, e.g. pulling hair from her ear canal, trimming in front of her eyes, doing a sanitary trim (so pee/poop don't get stuck in her fur), cleaning ears, trimming nails, and trimming hair from between paw pads. If you want, I can give you tips on any of these.

Just be sure to make this a good time with your dog, so she doesn't dread to see you coming at her with the clippers. Lots of calm, reassuring, comments and scratches behind the will probably do the trick. And, of course there's always the old bribe-with-a treat trick

Good luck! Post a picture!

 

[ducks4you]

Buy a product that detangles. I don't have one for dogs--I KNOW that pets stores sell them for horses, which you good use if nothing else is available. The reason I'm suggesting this is because my sister-in-law is frustrated when she tries to groom her male (rough) collie. He doesn't like his hair pulled, he won't stand or sit still for it, and she REALLY wants a well-groomed dog. (Her female collie enjoys grooming.)

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

My mom has an adorably goofy terrier mix and I groom him with cheapy $17 clippers with the plastic combs. They are meant for human hair not dog hair, but they work. I don't have experience like the previous poster (thank you by the way!) but I just use a "4" all over on him after a bath and dry. I use a close cut either a "1" or with out the combs on his legs, stomach, and to trim up his "parts" that the long hair seems to get yucky. I just trim up the hairs on his face to where they aren't quite as coarse (not far) but he has little whisps on his ears that I leave because it's cute! Like I say, I don't really know what I'm doing, but he turns out pretty cute.

 

[Beekissed]

Buy a product that detangles. I don't have one for dogs--I KNOW that pets stores sell them for horses, which you good use if nothing else is available. The reason I'm suggesting this is because my sister-in-law is frustrated when she tries to groom her male (rough) collie. He doesn't like his hair pulled, he won't stand or sit still for it, and she REALLY wants a well-groomed dog. (Her female collie enjoys grooming.)

I use a product called CitraShine on my dog and sometimes on my cat, for ease of grooming and detangling. It helps tremendously. I know because I have to use it on my own curly hair to get it combed out after washing, or it is a painful process. They also have similar products with different names, such as FrizzEze(sp?), that are just the same thing~silicone gel.